Building Knowledge Structures as Networks from Information Gaps

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In the practice of philosophy, the understanding of concepts involves tracing their evolution, connections, and associations across different thinkers and contexts. This process inherently creates an implicit network method within the historical practice. Curiosity is driven by the desire to fill information gaps within these networks, which are formed in our minds. These networks may have cavities, holes, or gaps, and curiosity motivates us to fill these gaps like finding a missing puzzle piece. However, the shape of these knowledge networks becomes an important consideration. It is argued that knowledge structures can be rigid and fixed, limiting the ability to incorporate new information or reshape existing knowledge. Therefore, an optimal knowledge structure is one that fills gaps but also allows for flexibility and adaptability. This trade-off between filling gaps and leaving room for flexibility enables us to recognize the need for reshaping our knowledge when confronted with new information, making it crucial in an ever-changing world.

It’s easy enough to proclaim that we are curious creatures, but what does that really mean? What kinds of curiosity are there? And how does curiosity arise in our brains? Perry Zurn and Dani Bassett are a philosopher and neuroscientist, respectively (as well as twins), whose new book Curious Minds: The Power of Connection explores these questions through an interdisciplinary lens. We break down the different ways that curiosity can manifest — collecting and creating loose knowledge networks, digging deeply to create a tight knowledge network, and creatively leaping to make unexpected connections.

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Perry Zurn received a Ph.D. in philosophy from DePaul University. He is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at American University. He is the co-founder of the Trans Philosophy Project and the associated Thinking Trans // Trans Thinking Conference. Among his previous works is Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry.

Dani Bassett received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge. They are currently the J. Peter Skirkanich Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in the Departments of Bioengineering, Electrical & Systems Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, Neurology, and Psychiatry, as well as an external professor of the Santa Fe Institute. Among their awards are the Macarthur Fellowship, the Lagrange Prize in Complex Systems Science (2017), and the Erdos-Renyi Prize in Network Science.

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